The Woodpecker Pub's cracking curry is the perfect antidote to the January blues

If staving off the January blues is high on your list of priorities, then we've got a treat for you. An unassuming sports bar that serves a cracking curry that's worth bending your New Year's resolutions for.

The Woodpacker Pub in Mackworth was recommended as a ‘place that does good curry' in Derby. So on a cold January day we decided to check it our for ourselves.

It would be remiss not to mention the Derby pub’s history which has seen it close and change hands several times over the past few years. 

Its latest incarnation of sports bar-curry house seems to be working. 

Mackworth is not an area I have visited often, and as we pulled into the near-empty car park, I couldn’t help but wonder why I had missioned out.

It was the unlikely artwork near the entrance inside the porch area that piqued my interest.

A beautiful hand-painted mural of a woodpecker that could easily belong in an art gallery was not what I expected to see in a sports pub.

The spacious pub has a wood-themed décor, so there is a lot of tan everywhere.

As it is predominantly a sports bar there are large screen televisions dotted around the building, which means finding a table without a telly next to it is a little tricky.

Thankfully the screen above our corner table was muted, which I think is a great idea, to stop potential cacophony as multiple tellies emit varying levels of volume. 

Now let's talk about the food...

I had desi chicken which is traditional curry in a tomato base with piquant onions and garlic.

The emulsion of the sauce was wonderful, there was a generous amount of tender chicken in there, and I could taste fresh garlic which made the dish even more enjoyable. 

I love spicy food, so I requested more chilies in my curry. Although I couldn’t see or taste any extra chillies, the curry was still very good.

My dining partner had keema muttar curry.

This minced lamb dish is usually served with peas, however as per the request of the dining partner, peas were removed from the dish, to render this one meaty extravaganza.

The tomato gravy with hints of cinnamon and cloves was also very good and one that I would eat next time. 

My side of plain naan was pillowy soft and loaded with butter, just how I like it.

The menu says all naans are cooked in a tandoor oven, which I really appreciated, as you could really taste a whisper of charcoal when I swallowed the stunningly soft morsels. 

The dining partner's tandoori roti was good, which like the naan, arrived with a buttery flourish.

Overall, service was efficient, the food was great and that pint of Atlantic Pale Ale was perfectly chilled.

It would have been nice to have table service, as ordering an extra roti in between the meals took an extra 10 minutes (time to wait at the bar, get served, and for the order to arrive at our table). Which meant the curry was a little cooler, but was still polished off. 

I suppose the lack of table service is a given at a sports bar, which is not my usual habitat - I’m just not their target audience - but I would definitely return to The Woodpecker to explore more of their menu.

I have my eye on the fish tikka side, whilst their veggie mixed grill of chilli paneer also sounds inviting.

What we ate at Woodpecker Pub

Pint Sharp’s Atlantic Pale Ale £4.60

Desi chicken curry £9.95 

Keema muttar £10.95

Plain naan £2.50

Tandoori roti £5 (2 ordered)

Total £33

Address: 1 Woodford Road, Derby DE22 4EF

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